Women In Food And Agriculture In Nigeria: Some Considerations For Development

The findings of a Nigerian case study discussed in this paper indicate that the notion of wives of leisure is really not applicable to most women in Nigeria, as women have always worked. Even those in purdah engage in income generating activities within the confines of the compound. It is therefore wasteful to continue to by-pass or displace women in development. Selective mechanisation of difficult processes in agriculture could become a useful method of integrating women into, and enhancing their contributions to, development. A deliberate attempt at the involvement of women in food and agricultural development programmes and increased productivity for them would mean better utilization of their productive capacity.